On March 19, Diia.City United continued its series of meetings with members of the Assoc’s Strategic Board. This time, the guest was Samvel Akobian – serial entrepreneur, CEO, and founder of the neo-insurance service lilo, as well as co-founder of Helsi, Bubibo, and gridWe. In addition, Samvel is currently preparing to launch yet another startup.

According to Samvel, today in Ukraine many industries call for complete reengineering of entire systems, not just individual work processes. His startups cover different niches: medical technology, insurtech, pet-tech and smart meters. However, all projects have one main focus – data and its transmission. And Samvel’s teams are staffed with high-level data professionals of various directions.

How to Manage Multiple Companies at Once?

Samvel builds businesses in a way that enables each startup to operate and grow autonomously. While he remains engaged as a founder, he refrains from interfering in daily operations. For such a model to succeed, having a strong and independent team is crucial.

Each of my team members is smarter than me...  — Samvel admits —  …and that’s fantastic! 

 

Challenges and Lessons Learned

Samvel shared an intriguing fact about foundinHelsi, a medical technology platform that has transformed healthcare services in Ukraine. It turns out that the product launch succeeded only on the third attempt:  

The first project in 2012 failed with unmet market needs, and the second in 2014 – due to resource constraints. But the third attempt brought success. It’s all about persistence. 

Another business challenge turned opportunity was related to gridWe’s smart meters’ production. Originally planning smart collars for Bubibo, the team created the modem’s prototype and sought IoT-based meters for it.  

We started searching for suppliers and realized no one was producing them in Ukraine. What were we supposed to do? Build our own factory.  And they really did build it!

Nine months for design, the tenth for facilities, the eleventh for certification, and the twelfth month – for the first batch. This is only possible with the right team,  — Samvel explained.

 

Data and AI: The Cornerstones of Future Change

Samvel’s tech startups aim to solve systemic challenges in critical sectors through advanced expertise and cutting-edge technologies like AI and IoT. However, relevant data remains the key.  

AI is about data. Many in IT understand AI and how to use it, but the main question is – on what data will you build it? Any AI model relies on a stable source of relevant data. 

Realizing the central data role in implementing AI across Ukrainian healthcare highlights the primary obstacle: the lack of data exchange between medical institutions.

 There are tens of thousands of hospitals and clinics in Ukraine. Yet without data exchange, for a patient, every visit goes like starting a new medical history,  the entrepreneur emphasized.  Moreover, you can’t train AI with paper records. 

The Issue with Medical Insurance in Ukraine

In developed countries, health insurance costs 6–12% of annual salaries. In Ukraine, it remains largely a formality. Ukraine’s insurance market has barely evolved since the early 2000s.

People treat insurance as a checkbox, not as a health tool. This mindset should be changed, – said Samvel. 

Traditional insurers offer medical assistance only after incidents occur. Lilo shifts the focus from incidents to prevention, turning insurance into a real health support tool.  

First lilo service offers:

– Mandatory health checkups upon signing insurance contracts (B2B, B2C)

– Personal doctors for all insured clients  

 If we aim for national health, prevention is the only viable path for Ukraine. It’s beneficial for everyone and for our economy. 

 

Transforming the Healthcare System

Ukraine must change its healthcare financing model. Currently, there is a lack of both financial resources and human capital. Add to this the severe progression of modern diseases and the health impacts of war – the public healthcare system can no longer meet all the challenges. A new approach is essential.

 

Lilo: A Step Toward Preventive Medicine

  • A Seamless Digital Experience: From doctor appointments to prescription handling — all in one convenient app.
  • Minimized Errors: Standardized algorithms are used for patient assessments and forecasts.

Digital medical data is the new oil. Sadly, Ukraine has yet to recognize its value,— Samvel asserts.

According to him, AI can be extremely efficient in performing various assist-tasks for doctors: storing patient data, analyzing global medical cases, and flawlessly suggesting actions based on protocols. 

This reduces healthcare costs and addresses staffing shortages. Most importantly, AI can instantly identify anomalies in tests and warn of potential risks long before it’s late.

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According to Samvel, he joined Diia.City United to be part of an environment where tech companies join forces, share experiences, and advocate for business interests:

“We are united by quite similar challenges, yet each member brings his unique experience that undoubtedly strengthens the overall IT business community. Such initiatives are also crucial for the country’s recovery and development, as well as for influencing state and international processes. By working together and combining our efforts, we can achieve much more.”

When people ask me what Diia.City United is about, I have a simple answer: we want to build an association that allows businesses to focus solely on doing business. Our mission is to take the headache of bureaucracy, unnecessary obstacles or government relations away from entrepreneurs so they can concentrate on developing and scaling their products, — added Nataliya Mykolska, Executive Director of our Association.

The Diia.City United Association already brings together more than 120 leading Ukrainian and international tech companies and funds shaping the future of Ukraine’s technology industry. We take pride in every Diia.City United member — those who not only build businesses but also improve rules for the entire industry.